The Facts: Freeman has lofty financial expectations from GM Thomas Dimitroff. "I want to be the best," Freeman told ESPN.com. "I want to be elite paid. Whatever that is, that's where I want to be -- straight up."
Diehards Line:
He added that he will not hold out, given that Atlanta is already well aware of his wishes. "Me and my team, we already said what we expected and wanted so there is no need for me to sit around here saying, 'Why my contract not done?' 'Why is this, and why is that?' I don't have to do that. I don't have those problems because realistically I am under contract already. I have to play my fourth season, so it's no big deal." According to contract site Spotrac, the top running back salaries in the NFL after Le'Veon Bell's franchise tag number of $12,120,000 are Jonathan Stewart and LeSean McCoy's $8 million per year. Doug Martin's latest deal averages $7,150,000 per year while Lamar Miller is getting $6,500,000 on average per year. McCoy leads all non-rookie running backs in money guaranteed at signing with $18,250,000 -- or nearly half the deal. So what does this mean for a player that has scored 11 touchdowns and amassed more than 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons? He'll need to do it at least once more to achieve his goals. As NFL.com suggests, his push to be a more violent running back may not be a coincidence.